The Golden Isles Blog on the festival

The planning is finished. The Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival is just around the corner. Here a link to Brunswick and Golden Isles Travel News Blog. Take a look.

Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival Headquarters

Some breaking news on the Georgia Coast Birding & Nature Festival . We are going to be headquarter at Villa Ospo! It is the perfect setting for the family friendly birding and nature festival. There is lots of parking and green grass. Plus there are a few butterfly areas and great views of Jekyll Creek. For more information on the festival take a look at the website: Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival.

Beauty berries and butterflies

There is a native plant that is so pretty this time of year. Its common name is American Beauty Berry. See isn't it beautiful and the birds love it. Pretty soon we will have lots of Gray Catbirds and thrushes making a feast of these juicy purple berries.

While we are looking around the Gulf Fritillaries are on the move. It is going to be an exciting season. Don't forget to take a look at the Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival. We have a little something for every nature lover. Join us October 7-10, 2010

Movie Chatter

Well we are a week closer to the Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival October 7-10, 2010. I am working to get everything in place. Take a look and sign up. It promises to be great fun.

In the meantime, my friend Paul Baicich who puts out a monthly newsletter called The Birding Community E-Bulletin reports about a new movie in the making. If you have not read the book, The Big Year, grab a copy it is a fun read. I cannot wait for the movie like Paul I hope they show birders in a good light.


Here is what Paul wrote:
“BIG YEAR” MOVIE CHATTER

Birders have been abuzz recently about an upcoming movie, expected early next year, loosely based on Mark Obmascik's 2004 book, THE BIG YEAR. The book was about the quest by three birders - Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller – to see as many birds as possible in North America in 1998.

The movie, a 20th Century Fox production, will be a fictionalized spin-off on the book. The three main characters have been renamed in the film, many of the facts and locations moved around, and it will be set in the present-day rather than the late 1990s.

Here are a few details:
- Three months of shooting began May 3. Release expected sometimec in 2011, perhaps as early as April.
- Shooting locations: Vancouver BC, Osoyoos, BC (doubles for Texas and Arizona); Tofino, BC; NYC; Arizona; the Yukon (for Attu).
- Executive Producer: Ben Stiller
- Director: David Frankel
- Casting (in part): Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Brian Dennehy, Dianne Wiest, and
Anjelica Huston.

The movie's director, David Frankel, says, "To me, this is a fascinating story about three men who are at a crucial point in their lives, caught up in an obsession. The bird watching really reveals their character."

Let’s hope the picture of birders steers away from the unpleasant image presented by Miss Jane Hathaway in TV’s famous "Beverly Hillbillies."

You can find some sample birder interest in the film here:
http://birdersforum.com/index.php/topic,896.0.html

Hanging out on the beach with the birds

On Saturday I walked out to the southend of Jekyll. It was so nice to see all the birds hanging out.

The path needs work

If you wonder what this entry is about I want the bird banders, Chris, Jan and Charles, to see the path out to the banding area as it is today. We need to organize a workday this month to fix it. If you want to help let me know otherwise stay tuned for more interesting entries.

The start of the path looking out to the beach. Sagging board in need of supports more supports missing

The wax myrtle fallen over the path.

Here is a pretty picture of Marsh Fleabane as a parting image. There is a meadow of it just beyond this path.

The pond on Pine Lake Golf Course

Since April, I have been working nonstop pulling together the Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival, October 7-10, 2010. This work kept me inside this summer except for the Wednesday evening tour on the Jekyll Island Golf courses, called the Golf Cart Nature Tour. In August, it seemed I was on Pine Lakes Golf Course. It has a pond between holes numbers 11 and 12 that is just great! There are always herons, egrets, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, White Ibis and Anhingas resting around it. There were flocks of Pine Warblers generally near by on the ground. Yes, there was no looking up. They were on the ground. Pretty cool. Here is a view of the pond.

I mentioned that my little point and shoot camera does best when I shoot thru the scope. Here is a picture of a young White Ibis. It is not great but it works for me.

New camera and silver linings

Well, I broke down and bought a point and shot camera. It isn't great but it will do. It surprised me for my best shots of birds are taken through my scope so it looks like I am going to have to look into digiscoping. In the meantime, enjoy the silver linings of these clouds I shot the other day as I left Jekyll.